FREE PREVIEW
TIME TO LEARN-TIME WILL REVEAL PART ONE
As the sun dawns on another day, all is still quiet in the house. The crew are still resting, while outside the birds begin to sing. It's another beautiful day in Cleveland, Ohio. Pearl opens her eyes and looks to the ceiling and thanks GOD for another day of life. Today is Monday July Third, the first day of her long awaited vacation. She makes her way into the bathroom to prepare for her morning routine of brushing her teeth, washing her face and whatever she needs to do, to help her prepare for her day. She brushes her silky hair away from her face, as she gazes into the mirror, reflecting on the life she and her husband John are managing for their 4 children. The news both she and her sister Brenda received from their mother in Houston, causes her eyes to well-up with tears. “What’s the matter mama?” a voice from behind her ask. She turns to see her only daughter, Ebony, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a look of concern on her face.
“Oh nothing baby girl, It’s just nerves. Mama’s fine,” Pearl replies, with a smile. The smile Big John always said could light up a room.
Emotionally, she is far from fine. Just three days ago she learned that her mother in Texas had been diagnosed with breast cancer and has to start treatments very soon.
The family talked things over with Big John, on the phone. It was decided someone had to be there with her. Pearl knew it would be impossible for her to go to Houston to stay because of her job at the hospital, her home and her children. It was decided that Ebony would go and stay until the treatments were done. Big Mama insisted it be a female and Ebony is her oldest granddaughter. This is one of the toughest decisions of Pearl’s seasoned life and one of the hardest to digest. Ebony has been told of the trip. Though she doesn’t want to leave her friends and family, she wants to be there for Big Mama. Besides, her Big Mama really needs her there. Her Big Mama is the one person she credits with teaching her the most about being a little lady. She’s been teaching Ebony how to get a husband since she turned 6 years old.“Is Big Mama doing worse?” Ebony ask.“No baby,” Pearl answers softly, “There’s been no change. I’m just worried about having to send my baby girl away from home.”Ebony is the third of Pearl and John’s four children and their only girl. She’s thirteen, five years older than the baby boy, Jesse, who is eight. Their oldest, Jb, also known as John Jr, is 15 and set to start his junior year at MLK high school in the fall. The second child, Jeremy better known as Tank, is 14 and only eleven months older than Ebony. Both of them were born in 1975. Tank was born on the twenty fifth of January and Ebony was born on Christmas day. They always told people, who didn’t know any better, that they were twins. That’s because they’re the same age for one whole month each year. The two of them are extremely close. So, of course, if Ebony has to go to Houston, Tank is planning to roll, too.“Go and get your brothers up, baby,” Pearl says to Ebony, “I’ll be finished in here, in a minute.” “Yes ma’am,” Ebony says. “I’m already up,” Tank say, as he stammers into the bathroom, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “Son, Don’t you know better than to walk into a bathroom with ladies in it?” Pearl ask, with a frown on her face. “Oops. Sorry ma,” he says. He looks down now, as he backs out of the bathroom. He’s still half asleep.
“Do you want me to go and get Jb and lil man up for you?” He ask, from just inside Pearl’s bedroom door, where he now stands.“Yes please,” Pearl answers him, with a smile. He can’t see his mother, but he can hear that she's smiling. He's content to know she isn’t angry with him over his ill mannered interruption.
“Okay,” He says. He goes back towards his room.
“Oh Mama!” He yells, from the hallway. “Yes dear, what is it?” “Ajay and June spent the night!” “Okay sweetheart. Get them up too. Y'all get ready for breakfast,” she say, as she dries her hands, “Baby girl, the bathroom is all yours. Don’t you camp out in here okay? The boys have company, so you make sure you dress completely before you come out. Hurry up, so you can help me in the kitchen.” Ebony says, “okay” smiles and closes the door, after her mother leaves.
Ebony uses the bathroom in her mother and father’s room. She has 3 brothers who use the main bathroom in the hallway. She hates how they leave the seat up. With 3 of them and one of her, she's in the minority. So, she always has to put the seat back up, when she's done. After she started her menstruation period, 4 months ago, she insisted and everyone agreed, she and Pearl should share the master bathroom, where Pearl keeps their personal products. The boys were seriously conflicted with having those types of products in the bathroom they used anyway, and once again, Ebony was the minority. But, in the master bathroom, she and Pearl are the majority. Eventually John, who's away most of the time anyway, starts using the hallway bathroom with his sons whenever he's home. This is the best fit for all involved. Only Ebony still has to help her mother clean the bathroom, in the hallway. She still doesn’t like that part but that isn’t up for compromising. Big June and Anthony stay at their house often. Or Jb and Tank stays with them. They all attend school together and are very close. But last night’s sleepover was different. Anthony or Ajay, as he is commonly known, had stayed the night indeed. Only this time he had slept in Ebony’s Room, the entire night. He’d only gone back to the boys room an hour ago. It wasn’t unusual for him to come into her room. He's her boyfriend and has been for three years. But their parents don’t know about them. When he comes to her room, they talk and other things. She likes the way he kisses her. He always touch her face, so gently with one hand, while his other hand explores her developing breast and body. Eventually, he'd end up caressing her most private spot. He would roll his tongue around in her mouth and over her breast and nipples. It was he, she thought, who was responsible for her breasts growing. This was what he always said. When in fact, it was just puberty and the adolescent changes a female’s body takes on, leading up to the menstruation transformation into womanhood. She doesn’t care for his fingers inside of her, but he would always try it. As soon as he felt her squirms of discomfort, he would remove it. She's an intelligent girl. Just very naive when it comes to sex. Ajay is very experienced at his young age. Until just a few hours ago, Ebony had been a virgin, with touch from Ajay only, for the last two years. He has been sexually active since age eight. Learning she was leaving, in three days, made her eager to feel the real thing he was always talking to her about. He never pressured her for sex. But it was she who knew, one day, they would go all the way. And in her heart, she knew Ajay was the only one for such an honor. He hadn’t tried to go all the way before. Though he's deep in the streets and known throughout their hood for his heartless ways, he has always shown a certain respect and compassion for her. They had all grown up together. He and Ebony use to fight and argue, all the time, when they were smaller. She would say, “I can't stand him”. Their parents figured eventually that would change and they would start to get along. Their families have been very close for two generations. Their oldest living generation had fled north, prior to and during the civil rights movement in the south. All of their families are rich in history and have always had an entrepreneurial spirit. They are raising this generation to be no different. Ebony is struggling with how she will tell her mother about last night. She's afraid her mother will be disappointed in her. Before last night ever happened, she had wanted to tell Pearl they had kissed and touched. She had never found the courage to do so. She knew her mother would say she was too young for this sort of behavior, without even hearing her out. But she has to find a way to tell her mother, before she leaves for Houston. She has to tell her face to face. That's the way things are done in this family. She has only 3 days left, in which to do so.
